Notas sobre el TLCAN

2018

2017

Reuters EU, Mexico automakers blast Trump auto tariff plan

July 19, 2018

The Trump administration on Thursday came under withering criticism from automakers, foreign governments and others as officials consider imposing tariffs of up to 25 percent on imported cars and parts, a levy that could hike vehicle costs, hurting auto sales and industry jobs.

During the first half of a daylong Section 232 hearing on the national security implications of auto and auto parts imports, U.S. government officials focused their questions to representatives of the U.S. auto industry on rising imports of technology related to electric vehicles as well as increasing import penetration of foreign autos and parts.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this week addressed the U.S. reliance on foreign sources for critical minerals, with some members expressing concern that Trump administration tariffs could reduce access to key inputs for technology products.

World Trade Online Ag group says 232 exclusions should be tied to reduction in retaliation

July 19, 2018

A group representing fruit growers in the Pacific Northwest is calling on the Trump administration to insist that countries whose products receive exclusions from Section 232 tariffs reduce their retaliatory duties by an equivalent amount.

Auto-industry representatives are expected to argue during a U.S. Commerce Department hearing Thursday that President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on auto imports would costs jobs and increase car prices.

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) hopes a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration can serve as a vessel for legislation he backs that would give Congress the final say over tariffs imposed under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1964, he told reporters on Wednesday.

The House Ways & Means trade subcommittee next week will hold a hearing on the Commerce Department's process of determining which products should be excluded from Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum.

Automakers operating in the U.S. will meet this week with lawmakers and congressional staff members to push Congress to take a harder line on the administration’s Section 232 probe into imports of autos and auto parts.

World Trade Online U.S. initiates WTO disputes with countries imposing tariffs in response to 232 duties

July 16 , 2018

The U.S. has initiated World Trade Organization dispute settlement proceedings with Canada, Mexico, the European Union, Turkey and China over tariffs the countries have placed on U.S. products in response to steel and aluminum duties imposed by the U.S. earlier this year under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and justified via national security, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced on Monday.

Companies from the natural gas and oil industry are decrying the Commerce Department's Section 232 steel product exclusion process, arguing that the department has been “arbitrary” and unclear in deciding whether to grant or exclude certain steel products from a newly imposed 25 percent tariff.

World Trade Online Commerce cuts Section 232 auto hearing to one day

July 13 , 2018

The Commerce Department on July 19 will hear from more than 40 parties about the implications of the Section 232 investigation into imports of autos and auto parts during a hearing that had been slated to last two days.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior Trump administration officials will meet with Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday, hoping to make early strides on divisive issues like immigration, trade and security

The head of one of the two largest freight railroad companies in the U.S. on Thursday offered a strong defense of international trade and a comprehensive critique of the Trump administration’s trade policy – including its approach to NAFTA, China and Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum – which he said risked derailing economic growth.

Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) plans to introduce legislation to reform the Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 by tightening its definition of national security and giving Congress a larger role in assessing proposed moves against allies.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) believes legislation he is pushing to require that Congress vote to impose tariff hikes proposed by the president via Section 232 of the Trade Expansion of 1962 will be voted on by the Senate in the near future.

Japanese auto components supplier Jtekt Corp (6473.T) said it was holding off on expanding production in Mexico, awaiting the outcome of talks over the North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA

Mexico’s incoming economy minister says a Nafta deal by October is possible and believes a “Nafta-lite” — or, as a last resort, a bilateral trade deal with the US — would be better than no agreement at all.

World Trade Online Azevêdo, WTO members warn of grave dangers to global economy following U.S. actions

July 6 , 2018

World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevêdo in a series of tweets on Thursday cautioned the world’s major economies against escalating trade tensions days after WTO members slammed the U.S. for its unilateral measures, warning that the actions will eventually have a devastating impact on international trade and the economy..

Financial Times Trump’s trade war triggers global food fight

July 5 , 2018

Spiralling trade tensions between the US and its key trading partners are starting to reshape the market for agricultural commodities. While US soyabean farmers risk being significant losers, Vietnamese yarn spinners and German pig farmers look like potential winners.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Mexico on July 13 to meet President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and discuss immigration, trade, security and development, the U.S. and Mexican governments said on Tuesday.

World Trade Online EU: Auto tariffs will invite retaliation on nearly $300 billion of U.S. goods

July 3 , 2018

The European Union issued the United States a grave warning in its comments on the Commerce Department’s Section 232 investigation into the national security effects of autos and auto parts imports: if President Trump opts to slap a tariff on autos and auto parts, other countries will retaliate by implementing tariffs on roughly one-fifth of total U.S. exports in 2017.

Mexican President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador does not plan to call for major changes to Mexico’s position in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Jesús Seade, AMLO’s chief negotiator, said Monday.

Inside U.S. Trade received a letter on June 30 from Jesús Seade -- appointed by President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador to be Mexico’s next chief NAFTA negotiator -- in response to our June 29 article “Mexico set to elect a new president, adding another NAFTA wildcard.”